Mahakaleshwar Temple

May 29, 2023

The Mahakal Lok corridor, located at Ujjain's Mahakaleshwar temple, recently experienced massive destruction caused by strong winds.

About Mahakaleshwar Temple:

  • It is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva.
  • Location:
    • It is located in the ancient city of Ujjain in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
    • The temple is situated besides the Rudra Sagar lake.
  • It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingams of Lord Shiva. 
  • Mahakaleshwar idol is Dakshina Mukhifacing south, unlike all the other Jyotirlingas.
  • The temple, which is spread over five levels, sees a huge throng of devotees during the Maha Shivaratri festival.
  • Architecture:
    • The temple complex comes with a spacious courtyard that is adorned with finest sculptures that are believed to be influenced by Chalukya, Maratha, and Bhumija styles of structural design. 
    • The foundation and platform are built of stones. Most of the upper structure rests on the strong and well-designed pillars and plasters.
    • It is complete with impressive lingam sculptures of Mahakaleshwar.
    • The images of Ganesh, Parvati and Karttikeya are installed in the west, north and east of the sanctum sanctorum. 
    • The temple also houses a tank constructed in the sarvatobhadra style.

What are Jyotirlingas?

  • A Jyotirlinga is a shrine where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam.
  • There are currently 12 main Jyotirlingas in India.
  • The 12 Jyotirlinga temples in India take the name of the presiding deity. Each considered a different manifestation of Lord Shiva. 
  • 12 Jyotirlingas in India are:
    • Somnath Jyotirlinga in Gir, Gujarat
    • Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga in Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh
    • Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
    • Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh
    • Baidyanath Jyotirlinga in Deoghar, Jharkhand
    • Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga in Maharashtra
    • Ramanathaswamy Jyotirlinga in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu
    • Nageshwar Jyotirlinga in Dwarka, Gujarat
    • Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
    • Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga in Nasik, Maharashtra
    • Kedarnath Jyotirlinga in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand
    • Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga in Aurangabad, Maharashtra